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Introduction. The increasing global consumption of processed meat products has led to certain concerns. For instance, processed meat products are known to contain carcinogen precursor compounds, thus creating the risk of chronic diseases. The present study was performed to estimate the food safety status of processed meat products available in Iran and evaluate the related effective factors. Study objects and methods. 140 samples of seven most popular commercial types of cooked sausages were obtained from four major meat factories (A, B, C and D) in 140 samples were collected from seven most popular commercial types of cooked sausages as follows: beef salami 90%, chicken salami 90%, dry cured sausage 70%, dry cured salami 60%, beef sausages 55%, chicken sausages 55% and Frankfurt sausage 40% (n = 5) from four major meat factories (A, B, C and D) in Tehran. The samples were screened for residual nitrite, ascorbic acid, and nitrosamine contents on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28. The results indicated that products from meat factory B had lower residual nitrite content in the samples with high content of meat. Beef salami (90% of meat) and Frankfurt sausage (40% of meat) contained the lowest and highest amounts of residual nitrite on day 0 – 73.99 and 177.42 mg of nitrite per 1 kg of meat, respectively. Results and discussion. Beef salami contained 90% of meat, chicken salami – 90%, dry cured sausage –70%, dry cured salami – 60%, beef sausages – 55%, chicken sausages – 55%, and Frankfurt sausage – 40% (n = 5). Nitrite reduction rates in sausages with a smaller diameter, e.g. Frankfurt sausage, were significantly lower (P < 0.05), compared to salami samples. The difference can be explained by the shorter cooking time. Nitrosamine formation increased during refrigerated storage; however, it was not significant in all samples. During refrigerated storage, nitrosamine formation depended on the level of added nitrite, the amount of residual nitrite, ascorbic acid, pH, and cooking temperature. Ascorbic acid content decreased significantly (P < 0.05) during refrigerated storage. Conclusion. The findings demonstrate significant correlation between the meat content, cooking time, nitrite content, and nitrosamine formation.

In this study, we applied the D-optimal mixture design method to optimise prebiotic sausage formulation with inulin, konjac (Amorphophallus konjac L.), and starch. Also, we investigated the effect of each component indi- vidually as well as their mixtures on cooking characteristics, texture, colour and sensory properties of prebiotic sau- sages. The results of this study revealed that the increase in inulin content in the formulations of sausages led to lower frying loss, and increased water holding capacity (WHC), lightness, and overall acceptability. The incorporation of konjac increased the cooking yield, hardness, cohesiveness, redness, and yellowness. On the other hand, konjac added into the sausage formulation decreased overall acceptability. The mixtures of inulin, konjac, and starch improved the cooking characteristics and overall acceptability of the sausages without significant negative effect on the color or sensory properties. The results of the study clarified that the optimum amounts of inulin, starch, and konjac were 2.09; 2.76; and 0.146 %, respectively. The obtained results make it possible to use the combination of these components to produce prebiotic sausage.